My cousin bought a 1980 Citation brand new and drove it without any problems for 20 years and sold it to a neighbor in 2000, who then drove it for I believe another five years before the engine gave out. Keep in mind my cousin carefully maintained this vehicle when she owned it, but put a lot of miles on it and it never let her down. The really neat thing about the Oldsmobile Brougham and Buick Limited versions of this car was that they were just as nicely done and luxurious as the full-size Oldsmobiles and Buicks of the same era, which was the real edge they had over the Japanese imports of that time. The early 80s Toyotas, Hondas and Nissans had extremely basic plain-Jane interiors which were really no comparison to these neat Oldsmobile and Buick compact cars.
Almost 30 years ago, my grandmother bought a used early-80s Olds Omega. It was likely the purest lemon she ever owned. That car had seemingly endless problems and breakdowns. It was so bad, that when I showed my father this video, he denied remembering she ever had this car. He was that successful at forgetting this disaster-on-wheels. The engine had problems. The brakes had problems. The heater had problems. The TRUNK LID had problems, and needed to be propped open. I used to drive my grandmother to go on her errands, and I got to the point where we would go in my vehicle, not hers. I just could not stand it anymore. I agree with Brad on the paint jobs and the wheezy Iron Duke. I just can't help but to imagine what the Chevy Citation and her sister-cars on the X platform would have been regarded if GM had better quality controls in place from 1980 forward, including better paint, better engines, and a four-speed automatic with overdrive. I can't resist wondering how the pubilic would now remember these X-cars if Oldsmobile had first put the Quad4 engine in production in 1980 instead of 1988. I'm sure the public would have been impressed by an Omega with a Quad4 and 4-speed AOD under-hood, even without the V6. The Citation and her ilk might have lived on well beyond 1985 and the public might have had a higher regard for both the X-cars and GM of that era. As it is today, I was blown away by Brad's walk-around tour and drive with the Omega. The car actually looked (uncharacteristically) nice. I would never want to set foot in one again, though. The question naturally arises: why would a single car type, a milestone in American automobile evolution, that sold millions of units in the first half of the 1980s, now be so totally forgotten and invisible? I think I have the answer: despite all the obvious positives of what this car was and what it represented, GM's lackluster quality and appliance-like powertrains doomed this product line after only a couple of years. The X-car line was doomed well before 1985. And the individual cars that were X-bodies were themselves doomed to scrap yards and compactors. Sadly, a product line that promised so much for both GM's customers and GM's own public image is widely perceived as a failure. Too bad we can't wave a magic wand, give it a Quad4, a 4-speed AOD, better paint, and higher quality to a few key components. If the X-car program had been better-implemented with higher-quality products, GM's multi-billion-dollar downsizing program would have gone so much smoother.
I got my driving lessons in the 80s in a car exactly like this one. Even at the time, I thought this car was a comfortable, decent car. You brought back memories.
When new(ish) they weren't bad. But they aged badly. Generally died a death of a thousand malfunctions. The cumulative effect of constantly having to deal with the next problem gave them a horrible reputation.
Yeah, I learned to drive in my father's 1980 Buick Skylark X-car, and it was great for a learner, easy to maneuver and surprisingly spacious and logical in its layout.
Same here, mostly good and a few not so good memories LOL! My high school had the Buick Skylark twins to this car for driver's ed provided by a local dealer, this was '80-'81 models and yeah while the V6 wasn't too bad I dreaded when I was stuck with one with a 4 cylinder. When Adam says the dashboard would shake at idle in gear he's understating it, the worst one I drove felt like the whole car was ready to fly apart while I had it in reverse, unnerving to me as a then-new driver--it made my grandfather's '72 Pinto feel refined and well engineered in comparison LOL! I rode in quite a few of these including the Pontiac Phoenix and Olds as well between family and friends and one time a teacher taking us on a field trip. I even once rode in a used first-year Chevy Citation my sister test-drove, fortunately she didn't buy it! Still all in all they weren't bad for their time, they were very comfortable to ride in and I distinctly remember they had very effective AC that kept us cold even down here in FL!
Also, about 15 years ago my wife was briefly lent an '86 Skylark that her father had gotten from her late great grandmother with only about 36K miles on it, I wish I could've gotten that car as it just about was a time capsule itself, I drove it a few times and though by '86 these had a bit of a makeover boy did it bring back the memories!
My parents had an '84 Omega Brougham 4 door when I was a teen. It was very comfortable, Mom called it a baby luxury cruiser. The 2.5 liter motor was slow and buzzy, but that was not an issue back then, it was luxury compared to a Vega or Pinto. Luckily, we also had my Grandmother's old '76 Nova with a 305, which was a lot nicer driving a car. Better ride, smooth v8 power. I hated that Omega, called it "the dorkmobile", learned to drive on the Nova, which I thought was a fairly cool ride. My dream car back then was a Grand Nat😁
Hi Adam. I like it. As you know, I have a few “orphans” incl 1986 Cadillac Cimarron, 74 Gremlin V8 and 1982 Ford EXP. It’s important we save these cars as well as saving our well loved full size US cars.
When you started that Omega up, it certainly brought back memories. That sound was very common back when these were all over everywhere. I always like the designs of the Omega and Skylark best. And I can't recall the last time I saw one out in the wild.
Even better when extremely cold. Got to love it, that beautiful sound of the 2.5 l Pontiac iron Duke. We actually owned two vehicles with this power plant in it, a 1977 Astra, and a 1986 Pontiac 6000. All the Oldsmobile vehicles we had, were a 1986 Cutlass Supreme Brougham, with the three point eight liter V6, and, a 1983 Cutlass,that the trim level escapes me, had the good old Oldsmobile 3.7 l. But the iron Duke, is the most nostalgic sounding.
A dark blue 83 Omega was the first and only car my parents ever ordered custom through the dealership. They got the V6 with a 4 speed manual, and it was the first car I remember vividly. I was 2 when it arrived, and my older brother and I spent countless thousands of miles singing annoying songs in the backseat. The seats were indeed comfortable, once I graduated from the car seat of course. My mother and aunt drove us on odyssey through the South, visiting Mammoth Cave, friends in Atlanta, relatives in Florida, culminating in Disney World and Cape Canaveral. The car ate up the miles with ease. It had problems after a few years, and once it hit the 6 year mark, (and it became my father's commuter car), it was traded in for an 89 Ford Probe. My parents still spoke fondly of the Olds though, even nearly 40 years later. And yes, I remember the seats being remarkably comfy.
These cars take me back. As a child, one relative owned an ‘81 Omega and another an ‘84 Skylark Limited. I never heard much about the Omega, but notoriousIy, the automatic transmission on the Skylark failed during a multi-state road trip at only 3 months old. That epic failure soured my uncle on GM and he became a loyal Toyota owner until through the present day.
My parents had a 1984 Citation V6 for several years. It was externally compact but had a cavernous interior, very comfortable seats and ride, and a smooth and pleasantly powerful engine. We had no reliability issues whatsoever. Slightly frumpy, it didn't have the crisp styling of the Omega or Skylark, but what a good little car.
I remember a friend's father bought one of these new and we went for a joy ride in it with its paper dealers plates. It was very quite and roomy and rode very smoothly. In this era even the problem cars were still nice for the first one or two years when they were shiny new and smooth running. My recollection is thinking of how far the dash seemed from the passenger side occupant, how roomy it was and it was a fun car.
This brings back memories. As a child, the elderly lady next to me traded in her 1973 Mercury Montego for a 1980 omega in light Blue. She rarely ever drove the car & I would go weeks or Months without seeing her car as it was always garaged. Wen she Passed away in 1987 I found out the car only had 4.000 Miles. Those where the Days.
It's an important piece of automotive history in the same way the Titanic is important in maritime history. This car was one of the reasons GM went from having 50% market share to where they are today.....
One of big three's attempts at putting lipstick on a pig. Funnier if you lived through it. The sound of transverse tractor engine firing up. Quintessential 80s
Gotta understand the executive mindset. 20 years of building V8-powered land-barges that people purchased every year. Hard habit to quit. Seeing it all over again with SUV suburba-tanks.
Thanks Adam for this X Body review ! I’m living on France, 5 km from Paris and I drive my 1981 Buick Skylark Limited V6 everything week-end (if no rain…). These cars were imported in Europe and I am so happy to get one in very good condition. The size of the X Body fits perfectly to our road standards …. So confortable, nice V6 sound and always smile on people faces and thumb up each time I drive it !
Good-looking little ride! I used to work with an old salesman who had a 1984 Skylark company car. When he got his new 1986 LTD company car, he bought the Skylark for his wife. She drove it for another 10 years. 'Nuff said.
In 1984, my Mom totalled her 77 Chevy Monte Carlo in a winter related accident! She bought a 1984 Oldsmobile Omega Brougham in Grayfern metallic. It had the Iron Duke 4 cylinder engine and was decently loaded up! That little car was awesome! It never let her down, got great gas mileage and she said it had plenty of power for what she needed it for! She kept it for 3 years and bought a new Chrysler LeBaron Convertible!!! A month or so later, although she said she loved her convertible, she missed her little Oldsy, s she called it!
I had, I believe, was a 1985 or 86 Olds Omega Brougham and I absolutely loved it! Two-tone silvery blue with a pale blue interior. It was the very first car I ever purchased. I used to call it my "Baby Cadillac" because it was actually quite plush and elegant for what was considered a small car. I had it a few years and only had minimal repairs, such as brakes, a muffler and I think a catalytic converter in all that time. It ran well the whole time I owned it, and I eventually sold it to get something "newer". Great seeing this video to bring back such fond memories.
They were really awesome vehicles, for being "small cars". I miss my Olds. It was a very good, dependable vehicle. Looked incredibly sharp as well! Have always had an eye out for another, but nothing yet. I suspect that Adam just purchased the last one available.
Back in 96 or 7 my high school friend got an 85 Skylark V6 in good shape other than the blue paint was oxidized like crazy. Alot of memories in that car in a few years. Noisy suspension. Comfiest seating in the tiniest yet roomy feeling package. The (throttle) engine felt very eager to get the car to speed and gave you that small car nimble feeling. I actually liked driving it quite a bit when I got the chance.
Adam this was such a treat!! My grandma had a 1985 Buick Skylark navy blue with a blue interior and it was such a nice car and she loved it! Was a great car! She never had any issues with it at all! And yes I can remember those seats being so comfortable in it! Especially after her replacing her 1969 Skylark with this one it was quite a big change as you said! 🥰🥰 thanks for these great memories ❤️❤️
About 7 years ago I was working as a mechanic in a small shop in NY state. A guy used to bring in his citation to get work done. It was his daily driver. It's suprising to see any cars on the road older than about 15 years here. Because at about 10-12 years old they are completely rotted to nothing. So it was always cool to see it. The most usual daily driver that came in was a mid 70's Subaru. It was in good shape too.
Been sub'd for a while. You are living my dreams. As a teen growing up in the mid 80s, we had a small collection of about 10 total antiques/collectibles ranging from 1929 to 1970. I was learning to drive with Studebakers, a Packard, several late 40s and 50s GM products and 2 little Metropolitans ( one was Nash and one a very rare Hudson ). All long gone but my memories are as fresh and new as yesterday. I loved them all and spent as much time as I could making sure they were kept clean and taken care of to the best of my ability. I don't have the means or space for my own collection so I watch yours. Thanks for what you do, many good memories.
The X car included the Chevy Citation. It was 1 of the worse cars to ever come out of GM. The quality of the build in the 1981 Chevy Citation was horrific.
The EPA required a less toxic paint thinner in these mid-80s early 90s cars. Unfortunately that ruined the paint quality until they got the formula right...
I absolutely LOVE the look of these cars, especially the Buick Skylark version & this Olds. Inside and out, classy looks & very practical & comfy. For a while, I REALLY wanted to find one of the 2-door Skylarks of these X-cars. You are very lucky to have this one in such mint condition. For styling, it's a 10 for sure!
My father and a neighbor of ours were among that wave of X-car buyers in 1980, my father buying a Buick Skylark and the neighbor buying an Oldsmobile Omega. My father's Skylark was great, lasted for years, with no problems except slightly loose steering. The neighbor's Omega was a lemon, though. I don't remember what was wrong with it, but he replaced it with a Honda Civic about a year later (and Honda Civics back then were even smaller than these, which you rightly point out are quite a bit smaller than today's Civics. Civics, along with practically all other US-market cars, have been made bigger and bigger and bigger since the eighties. Today's Civics are bigger than even a Honda Accord from the early eighties).
Good point colibri1. I think the Honda Accord was the only car in history that started off as a sub-compact in 1986, went to compact, then mid-size, and for a generation was even a full size until dropping back down to a mid-size. My parents had a 1978 Accord that was totaled and used the insurance money to get a 1980 Phoenix. They initially liked the Pheonix more than the Accord until the X-car issues started appearing. The big reason why is that the Accord did not have power steering, and my whole family developed foreams like Popeye.
The Citation was bigger and heavier than the Honda Accord of those days,the Accords had horrible rust problems and also head gasket failure problems when they got about 5 years old--but they handled very well and felt very tight and composed unlike the herky jerky feeling of the Citation (which however could severely outaccelerate the Accord although the Accord engine felt more "sporty") Accord I think could outaccelerate most of the Cadillacs of the day which I think went through some kind of a crisis in those days--when did they have the Vega like "HT 4100" death rattle engines?
My parents bought a new 1984 Old Omega Broughm ES 2800 in the spring of 1985. The ES Edition was the Sport version and was exceptionally rare. But what a sharp looking car. It was loaded with every option except A/C including a full gauge package with a tach and firm ride package. The 2.8 V6 was adequate for power but even with that, it was no race car...but it handled exceptionally well and got great mileage, over 30 mpg on the highway. Yes, the trunk was huge for its size. Gas was getting $$$ and so my parent's 75 Montego wagon with the 400 got relegated to second car duty for my brother and I to share and camping trips. Yeah, we both learned quick about how expensive gas really was, lol! Loved the wagon and loved that Omega. The Omega was traded in 1989 for another rare beauty...a brand new jet black 1988 Olds Cutlass Ciera International Series. Try to find either one of these now. Great cars.
My parents had the Pontiac Phoenix with the Iron Duke. For the time, the car had decent power and mileage. But it had a nasty way on the engine cutting off during a sharp turn. These could have been great cars if they were just more polished instead of being rushed into production. This appears to be the case of recent GM history
Fuel filter. Mine did the same thing on turns. While talking to a mechanic he stopped me before I was done describing the problem. Apparently they were very sensitive to the fuel flow rate, and any disruption from a bit of clogging can cause it to shut off. (His guess) I replaced mine and the problem went away.
These were excellent designs engineered to about the 80th percentile. Had they engineered and assembled them better I think automotive history would be different. The x cars competition typically wasn't as good a design, but they were engineered more thoroughly making the x cars seem crude by comparison. Note the gm A bodied shared some similarity under the skin and sold millions over many years. Too bad gm had to rush these due to cafe standards
@@howebrad4601 Agreed, I remember the follow-on Buick Century and Olds Century were almost bulletproof. These are what the X cars should have been when they were introduced in 1979.
I enjoy this channel much. Adam adds context and applies impressive automative knowledge to flag areas of interest in cars that have been ignored or dismissed. I learn much despite being a car guy who has spent too much time reading about cars for many years. Humbling… As usual, Adam is dead on; in this case about GM paint of this era. I saw this on two cars I owned of that time. Thanks for the great content!
And remember...Adam is six foot one (and more!), which makes him an even better person than you and me!...oops, my inferiority complex is showing (5'8" and getting shorter every year).
My 1st new car was a 1980 Buick Skylark Limited 2 door ( dark blue with dark blue interior) - loaded, all options including the F41 suspension (205/70/13 inch tires). My Dad sold Buicks and I had to wait almost 4 months due to the high demand. Loved this car and the front high-back seats were so comfortable.
My Mom ordered and took delivery of an early-production 80 Pontiac Phoenix. 2-door, 2.8 V6 (60°) and 4-speed o/d manual. Dark-dark blue with a red interior. Great looking and driving car except for the rear brakes locking up.
I owned an 83 Omega Brougham V6 Coupé in the 1990’s and I loved it. Even so I couldn’t adjust the back rest it was still very comfortable. It had a beautiful burgundy interior and matching coloured landau roof overtop the off white paint. I felt it was a hansom compact car and though the transmission did need to be rebuilt once at about 50 000 miles it was a reliable daily driver. I have been enjoying the channel so very much and now I even get to travel down memory lane seeing this review of a car I spent many miles in forgoing the wonderful memories of my youth Thank you so much for this Adam.
My mom had a Skylark Custom in that color. 4 door as well, 4 speed manual, 4 cyllinder. I bought it from her and drove it for a while. I remember 1st gear was short enough to beat many cars across an intersection. I really liked it. My friend owned a 2 door Omega in the beige color, he had the 6 cylinder and it was a nice car to be in as well. Many people chose the Celebrity for some reason, I saw that model around the most. And even though the seat backs werent adjustable they were comfortable for long drives even. And you are right on about the huge center consoles today, leg room is much smaller today than they were in the 80s.
I had a two door Omega Brougham with the V6. Like you said the rear brakes did lock up. The power windows did brake as you said. Fussy carburetor like you said. Handling nope can’t say it handled well. While it looked nice and was comfortable. I though it looked the best of all the GM X cars. A lot of people lost faith in GM after getting burned by these clunkers. Loved your video, brought bag a lot of memories of owning this car good and bad.
Good vibes!! My Aunt had in Puerto Rico a 1982 Oldsmobile Omega ES with the 2.8 liter V6. I remember that it was fairly quick off the line and it's 90 degree V6 had a sweet powerful sounding growl. It wasn't very powerful but the soundtrack the 2.8 v6 delivered made it sound muscular. Back in 1982 this Omega was certainly not slow it could actually keep up with some early 80's Mustang GT's, because of it's light weight the 130 horsepower made the ES Omega an excellent sleeper. Yes, it was comfortable with a European style ride quality!! It wasn't a bad car at all GM should have spent more on it's development. This car was indeed much better made than the Cadillac Cimarron at the time. Great reviews 👌!!
I've said it before but I like to yap. I ordered a new 1984 Buick Skylark T Type with 4 speed manual. I loaded it up with just about every option except cruise control. Sticker was 12,200 which was insane for model but a Supra at the time was 17k. Car was plenty fast for the time and never gave me a problem except for pedal parking brake not able to hold car well at all. I appreciated the fwd as I went to college in Plattsburgh N.Y and snow was deep. Use to take car to Lake Placid as lift ticket for students was only $5. Even with fwd once with 3 passengers and 4 sets skis on bic ski rack on roof we slid off road into a huge mound of snow. Did no damage whatsoever and how we got car back on road idk! Total production that year I've seen at 300 and how many of those were manual trans? I sold car my senior year for a 88 Firebird v8with t tops that leaked like crazy. I opted for automatic and within 8 months I traded in for a 5 speed Isuzu Impulse turbo which was really nice.
I had a 1980 Pontiac Phoenix with the Iron Duke. The lack of acceleration almost got me killed. I was going up the mountain between Tennessee and North Carolina (Big Sam's Gap) and I was stuck behind a very slow big rig. There was an opening in oncoming traffic and I went to pass. I floored it and it barely budged as I ever so slowly passed the truck. Naturally, traffic was coming right at me by that time and I barely got back over in the right lane before I was hit head-on. It was one of the scariest moments in my life and taught me to never ever pass a vehicle while driving the Phoenix.
I used to sell Chevys back in the 80s and I recall one irate customer asking me when GM started selling cars I answered since the 1920s and he said “then you would think they should know how to build a car by now!” Couldn’t argue with that logic.
I worked at a huge GM dealer at the time. I liked the X cars tremendously - but I wish they had just another six months of development! They were very comfortable and drove wonderfully in normal driving. The engineering flaws could have been avoided if it had not been rushed to market.
For easy access to the back of the engine, take the upper motor mount out, put it in park, push the car forward, then set the parking brake. The wheels will hold it in place.
The only X cars that are collectable is the 1981-1985 Citation X11 2 door Coupe with the Two tone paint H.O. 2.8L V-6 at 140 hp Auto PS/PB A/C gauge package AM/FM Cassette Tilt wheel Cruise R defrost Power windows/locks/seats. One of these X-11 with all the options are worth some money. My grandpa had the 1982 x-11 he brought in 1991 for 1100.00 and drove it until his death in 2003. I got it for free and I drove it until 2009.
X-11s were never two-toned. Monochrome only. The 1980s had a contrast stripe on the lower body. Some years the X-11 package could be ordered with the Iron Duke, believe it or not.
In the 80's I managed an auto parts store and these X-bodys were everywhere as well as the Ford escort and Chryslers K-cars. It was the manufactures first models where computers were first used and they didn't last very long. We sold a ton of parts for these cars.
Ignition control module would partially fail and cause misfires and problems that got blamed on carburetor problems? (Although the non-electric early carburetors were calibrated lean and would sometimes get dirt in the idle or transfer passages) there were a couple secret adjustment screws hidden under plugs
16:20 I learned to drive in 1984 in a High School driving course. The car I drove was a 1984 Buick Skylark. The biggest complaint I had and a few other students had was the windshield wipers. The wipers on these cars didn't recess below the windshield , instead they rested almost 3 inches from the bottom of the window blocking the nose of the car.
The wife and I had an '87 Buick Century with the 2.5 Iron Duke. Gutless pig and sounded like a tractor, but it was very reliable and comfortable on the road. Wish we still had it.
I'm writing into my will that my family try and contact Adam to see if he will deliver the eulogy because he can make the most horrible sound so good. And yes, we were able to thread the end of the camshaft, cut the old gear off, heat the new one, pull it on with the bolt all with the engine in the car. Paid good and we got fast at it from extreme repetition.
The sound of the starter and the engine running brought back memories. I had an '84 Citation with the 4 cylinder and automatic. My car was the exact opposite of this car. It was a 4 door hatch back and I think that it was a county fleet car at one time. I think that your Omega has more sound padding than mine, because mine was noisy. The front seat was different from the Omega. The Omega's seats look a bit like buckets with bolsters on the side, and my Citation looked like an older bench seat with the center cut out for the plastic tray. My car had power brakes and steering, AM radio, A/C, and an automatic. That was it for options. When I went looking for a car, I wanted a low priced, simple car that would be fairly reliable. I was not interested in a car with a carburetor, since they were computer controlled. My Mom had a carb like this on her '81 Bonneville, and she was always having trouble with it, so I bought a fuel injected 4 cylinder car. Mine was a hatch back, and I could sure pack a lot into it. Once I put a 30 inch wide stove in the back and drove it from San Diego to Yuma with no problems. It had a couple of notches from the factory in the plastic trim, and with that I could slide a 4 foot wide sheet of plywood in the back. I had to replace the rack and pinion when I first bought it. I didn't have to drop the cradle. I unbolted it and slid it out of the left side of the car with the wheel removed. I got a lot of use out of it, and it was great for a young family.
Worked in Olds dealers service depts from 81-94. Drove many of these cars. In spite of their issues they were great driving vehicles. The2.8v6 was a great engine and made these cars perform well esp the Citation X11
I still think the Olds X-Car was beautifully styled considering its mission, and the gap in culture it was bridging. Even though I'm Ford/Mopar, I admired the X-Cars as a teenager, and it's a shame they missed being successful. Another 6 months in development they'd have displaced a lot of import sales....and that might have gradually benefitted the Escort/Lynx and K-cars. Thanks for covering these interesting, handsome cars.
I sold these cars. From 1980-84. Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Buick. Now, I can honestly say, I’ve had them as demonstrators, and customers sales. I can tell you, in all that time, I cannot remember a single customer complaint. I do agree with some of what he says.
I know 4 people who had X cars, 2 Buicks, a citation and a phoenix. The first year cars had issues. The Phoenix had brake issues, the citation went through cv joints often, the 81 skylark had cv joints fail and then caught fire. My grandparents had a 83 skylark and it was a good car
Something you said about this car in this video could have come from an advertisement for Trabants in the sixties or seventies: "Why are you rushing going anywhere in a car like this? Just take your time and have fun. Everything's going to be okay."
My wife had an 81 Olds Omega Brougham. It was an excellent car to commute to work, about 65 miles RT. Just before the 50k extended warranty expired, the head warped. Covered by the dealer. Hansel & Ortman. Very comfortable car for the price range. Gave it to my mom when we bought a mini van.
My grandmother had an earlier model, and from what I can remember, it really was not that bad of a car. Granted, I was only 4 or 5 at the time, but I remember it being very roomy and very comfortable. After she got her Grand Am, my grandfather used it to pull his boat around.😆 I've always wondered why GM didn't base the Cimarron off the X-body instead of the J-body
I heard that Caddy based the Cimarron off the J since that was the newest flavor at the time. I owned a 1982 Cimarron that I bought off lease in 1983. It was a pretty decent car, but had to be repainted, (I think this was done under warranty) and the front seat post broke. It did not have the sudden stalling that my parents 1980 Phoenix had. I agreed that the Cimarron should have been built off the X platform, and have come standard with the V-6.
Adam addressed that in his Cimarron videos. Cadillac wanted to base the Cimarron on the A/X body, but there was no manufacturing capacity to accomodate the Caddy since GM was making and selling as many A's as they could.
A buddy of mine in high school (the local doctor’s kid) got one of these brand new (in Skylark form) and say what you will about these vehicles, but as far as refinement goes they were LIGHT YEARS ahead of the car I was driving at the time - a 1975 Chevy Vega hatchback! That little Skylark was handsome, reliable, comfortable, and roomy - I’d love to have one even today as a fun little “run around” vehicle for the weekend……..👍
Like the 80-85 Skylark Limited as well as the 80-84 Omega Brougham. Would love to have one today as I wound up getting a 88 Dodge Aries as I took a K over an X. For my Aries most of the bugs were gone these cars getting fuel injection was a major plus. All be it the rust/body integrity leaves a lot to be desired but overall, after 35 years going strong very comfy with velour bench front seat. Granted much rather have the Olds! As usual Super Job Adam! Always learning something new...
A friend has a 76 and 79 Seville. It is just amazing how easy it is to see out of these older cars and yes, the heater in these older cars is to die for. Driving an EV sometimes, you for sure don't get the old fashioned raw heat of the old cars and no range penalty on these old cars frim using the heat, like the EVs will drop 50 miles in range from using the heat...
In 1984 my buddies and I were riding with our friend in his dad‘s brand new Olds Omega Brougham. Plenty of room for three 6-footers, by the way. Alas, on the way home drunk from the bar he plows into some parked car at 2AM, and us idiots encourage him to flee. When he gets home he lies and said it was hit in a parking lot. I remember he had the steering wheel turned 90° to get the thing to drive straight. Trouble was a license plate fell off at the scene + the next morning cops were at his door with the plate in their hand 😂 nothing to be proud of, I know
The 6K was actually an A body not an X body. I had a 1990 AWD 6000 as my college beater. And there are days I miss that old tank. It got 11MPG and had primerbombed faded paint, but it was the best vehicle I’ve ever driven in the snow.
My parents bought a new 1981 Phoenix hatchback as my mom's car soon after my sister was born. Mom didn't like driving their 1979 Bonneville coupe because she felt it was too big, so dad sold his 1970 GTO convertible, took the Bonneville as his daily driver, and bought mom the Phoenix. Mom was happy with the car and I remember it being reliable and quite comfortable. In 1985 my dad suddenly passed away. Mom sold the Bonneville and gave the Phoenix to my grandma who needed a new car at the time, and bought a new Pontiac 6000 LE. My grandma kept that Phoenix for about 10 years until she stopped driving and sold it. It was still in great shape visually and mechanically when she sold it. It remained locally owned for a long time, my uncle and cousin used to see it around town. The last I know of it, it was still running around town in the early 2000's approaching 300,000 miles on the original Iron Duke engine and it's 3rd transmission. My cousin told me the owner after my grandma beached it on a traffic island, damaging the original transmission and replaced it with one from a junkyard. The junkyard transmission didn't last long and was replaced with a better one, and that's why it had 3 transmissions. My dad always had his cars rustproofed at Ziebart shortly after purchase, as we live in the northeast. That little Phoenix lived the life of many cars and was a true daily driven soldier.
I have owned an Omega from 1983 to 1994. It was also a Brougham, dark blue with a lighter blue vinyl roof, with the 6 cylinder carburated engine. I must say that I was quite happy with it apart from some problems with spare parts that were not available in Europe like a window crank for instance. The most unpleasant item was the ridiculously small fuel tank capacity that did not allow more than 300/350 km although consumption was reasonable. The second problem was RUST although I had it protected with the Swedish Dinitrol anti-rust product when new! So far as I know, it has been used as a glider tow several years after I got rid of it. Thanks for your pleasant presentation
Thanks for the memory. As usual, you nailed it. 👍🏾💯. Road trips were made in comfort and 25-28 mpg. Our family had four of these X Cars, 80, 82, & 85 Citation 4dr, hatchbacks, and a 83 Omega 2dr V6 Brougham. The design GM got a lot of things right for seventy five percent of the US. They were great in snow which exposed their Achilles heel; rust in all 4 strut towers. Our Omega rusted out at the A pillars, and rear towers. It was my grandma's, she never realized it. I found the dash end gap opening at the A pillars on turns. I got her out of it in a week, although she had driven it for only about five years.
Great to see so many showings of great cars and there flaws too. I truly love the cars of the big three up to the 2000s. I have six cars myself I own in that era. They are all full size except for a 85 Buick century. Can totally relate to this, still driving it as a winter car, 15 years now. ( good and bad)! Thanks Adam for what you do!
Botching a revolutionary new product's release, fixing its major flaws only after it gained a bad reputation, and then cancelling it when they finally got it right is a common theme through GM history: the Corvair, the Oldsmobile Diesel, the X-Cars, the Pontiac Fiero, etc...
I had an early one. I will say it was good in the snow. I went up a hill in Elko, Nevada passing a 4wd pickup spinning all 4 snow tires and I had regular street tires. I enjoyed the miles I put on it.
This video brought back memories, Adam. My second car was an '82 two door Buick Skylark Custom, replacing a '77 Honda Accord that I also bought new as my first car. I agree with you that they were roomy for their size. Mine was the Dark Jade Green with Light Jade Green interior. The paint started to "check" (micro cracks) during the second year and my dealer repainted the entire car no charge. So pleased with the relationship I had with the dealer that Christmas of '86 I traded up to a '87 Buick LeSabre 4 door Custom with aluminum wheels. Had the LeSabre until 2006 and traded at 69,000 miles for a Hyundai Sonata LX. That 1987 LeSabre made someone a fine work, beater car.
@@darroniverson3373 that is one point of view--the ‘87 LeSabre just didn’t have the smoothness it had in 1987 when purchased. transmission pan leaked and shifted with a jerk into overdrive. The 2006 Sonata was the best car I’ve ever had. 152,000 miles and no oil leaks or usage. Consistent 30 mpg on highway with full load. Loved that engine so much my 2016 Sorento has the same engine with TDI injection. So far it gets the same highway mileage with AWD.
My father was 6’6” and he drove a 1981 Buick Skylark that he bought from Avis. He loved that car. He commuted 50 miles each way to work for a few years in a car pool with two others and they all used to fit just fine.
I enjoy that you appreciate not only the usual classics but significant cars in automotive history, good and bad. Regardless, these cars sold incredibly well initially.
My Grandma bought one of these new in 84, 2 door 4 cylinder, and drove it until she passed in 99. Was passed down to my dad and I drove it for a summer when I was 16. By far the slowest most underpowered vehicle I've ever driven, but it was a comfortable car for sure. Literally could not get out of it's own way. I inherited it a few years ago when my Dad passed and ended up selling it as it needed more work than I could put into it. Had never seen snow or salt but the paint was peeling.. Only had 93,000 miles.
I always thought the Olds Omega X Car wasn’t bad looking and for me it was the best looking X Car. GM at least tried to make it look a little different than the other divisions models by incorporating Olds exterior design elements such as the vertical taillights, squared-off wheel well openings and divided front grille.
I always thought Oldsmobile was next in line to Cadillac, then Buick, Pontiac Chevrolet and always preferred them to Buick except Rivera vs Toronado.. I'd take the Omega over a Skylark any day of the week.
I agree that the Olds was the best looking X car, but the Phoenix and Citation had the hatch back which was extremely popular from the late 70's through the 1980's.
I agree. I liked my Olds, still wish I had it. Mine was grey exterior, same red interior. Oldsmobiles have always been the best GM vehicles. Utterly stupid for GM to have ended that lineage of automotive bedrock.
Best buddy's mom had one when I was a kid. It was a gold 2 door version. I got to ride in it quite a bit. It was definately comfortable. The 1st time I ever saw the new 84' Corvette was driving by a dealership with my face pressed up against the rear 1/4 glass of the Omega. Adam is the only one who possesses this stange power that can make me watch an Oldmobile Omega video and like it. lol
I find the styling quite pleasing. Reminiscent of my 82 Cavalier CL, and 87 Sedan deVille. Even in the “J” configuration, plenty of front legroom, as I remember checking the specs, at the time, with my 73 Caprice. Nice video, thanks for sharing your nostalgic ride.
I owned a 1981 Buick Skylark 4 speed standard and your description is spot on. They got so much right with that car I hated to get rid of it after 3 years. I bought it used with 30000 miles on it in 1986 and it looked new. It was amazingly cheap and I was aware if the poor reputation, but the other cheap cars were ruins so I took a chance. The issue was I had to rebuild the transmission roughly once a year, but the initial cost of the car was so low I didn't mind. But when rebuild 3 was on the horizon, I traded it in for a new Japanese econo box that was reliable and solid. Driving the econo box was a real step down, and I missed the great features presented in the video. In many ways it was the favorite of all the cars I have owned. Thanks for preserving this great example of a car that got so much right!
My first car was an '83 Skylark Custom with the V-6. It was a fleet vehicle from my dad's company and had about 70,000 miles. For the time they were quite peppy, and great highway cars. My '83 was totalled when a drunk in an Econoline broadsided it. I replaced it with an identical '84 from the cars coming off-fleet, and put an additional 80,000 miles on it through college and grad school. It proved to be a reliable little car, and never left me stranded. It's very true what he said about the brakes, especially in the wet, the rear would lock up if applied suddenly. But if you knew what to expect, it was quite manageable. It was also very true about the carburetor. The mixture had to be just right, or else the car would buck and cut out when cold. This happened after I had my first tune up at a gas station, and didn't get fixed till I took it to the Buick dealer. I found an immaculate one that was identical to my '84 a few years ago, but it was 1500 miles away. I wish I would have bought it.
Love the car and the condition is great. It always amazing that cars that sold very well in the 80's are so hard to find today, you must have the magic touch of find such cars. Thank you for the trip down memory lane.
Just look at those door cards! Fabric uppers with nice metal accents, carpeted lower 1/3, and soft-touch plastic elsewhere. Very sumptuous compared to modern mainstream cars door panel trimmings.
